Communication from Public
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Communication from Public Name: Nellie Scott Date Submitted: 05/15/2021 01:23 PM Council File No: 21-0120 Comments for Public Posting: Letter of Support from Boston Women's Heritage Communication from Public Name: Nellie Scott Date Submitted: 05/15/2021 01:27 PM Council File No: 21-0120 Comments for Public Posting: Individual letters of support for the historical designation of 5518 Franklin Ave as Sister Mary Corita's former studio. OFFICERS: BOARD MEMBERS: PRESIDENT George Skarpelos Fouzia Burfield Robert Morrison VICE-PRESIDENT Tom Meredith Andrew Chadsey Luis Saldivar TREASURER Sheila Irani Marshall Cobb Coyote Shivers SECRETARY Erin Penner Bianca Cockrell Susan Swan Michael Connolly Jim Van Dusen Brandi D’Amore Matt Wait Maureen Diekmann Tony Zimbardi Margaret Marmolejo HOLLYWOOD UNITED NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL Certified Neighborhood Council #52 P.O. Box 3272, Los Angeles, CA 90078 Email:[email protected] Re: 5518 Franklin: Review of Historic-Cultural Monument Nomination Form application for Sister Mary Corita Studio. The Hollywood United Neighborhood Council’s Board of Directors at their October 12, 2020 regularly scheduled meeting voted to support the Historic-Cultural Monument application for the Sister Mary Corita Studio. Sincerely yours, Jim Van Dusen* George Skarpelos* Chair, Planning and Land Use Management Committee President *signed electronically Page 1 Nyla Arslanian 2489 N. Edgemont Street Los Angeles CA 90027 (323)662-8236 October 13, 2020 Cultural Heritage Commission City of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 90012 Email: [email protected] Project Site: 5500-5518 Franklin Avenue/1859-1863 Western Avenue CHC-2020-5631-CE Dear Commissioners, This letter is in support of your consideration of Sister Mary Corita s Studio as a designated Monument of the City of Los Angeles ’ Known as Corita Kent, the internationally recognized artist is a true product of our city. Born and raised on De Longpre Avenue, she attended church on Sunset Boule- Throughoutvard, and was the a centralturbulent figure decade at Immaculate of the 1960s, Heart Corita College used forthe almost visual languagea decade. of Pop art to raise awareness about social injustices including poverty, racism, wom- en tion with famed artist, educator and social justice advocate Corita Kent. From 1960- 1968,’s rights, Corita and used war.The the building building as ather 5518 studio Franklin and classroom Ave is significant where she for created its associa- some sociatedof her most with recognizable Corita s artistic works, production. hosted creative leaders, and influenced a genera- tion of young artists. It is the only extant property of primary significance in LA as- ’ Sincerely, Nyla Arslanian Editor, Discover Hollywood Magazine President Emeritus, Hollywood Arts Council cc: Councilman Mitch O'Farrell—Attn: Craig Bullock st 11620 Wilshire LA | 25 East 21 NYC CHC-2020-5630-HCM Dear Cultural Heritage Commission, The team at Level Forward, a company dedicated to creative excellence in pursuit of equity, economic transformation and incorporating social responsibility at the very beginning of our work, are concerned community members. We are writing about the slated demolition of 5518 Franklin Ave, formerly the studio of famed local artist, educator, and social justice advocate Corita Kent in the 1960s, to provide additional parking spots for the Lazy Acres Market redevelopment project. Corita Kent is a cultural icon of Los Angeles and during her time in the building, she made some of her most recognizable works, hosted notable creative leaders, and influenced a generation of young artists through her art and teaching. Corita was a nun who taught and led the Art Department at Immaculate Heart College that was located across the street. Demolition of this building without proper consideration of its historical significance would be a grave misstep and could lead to the irreversible loss of priceless cultural heritage for Hollywood and broader Los Angeles. We want plans for development that align with our values - destroying a location of such artistic and cultural significance to accommodate additional parking does not. We urge you not to approve this project until the building has been properly considered by the Office of Historic Resources and the Cultural Heritage Commission. Thank you, _________________________ _________________________ Abigail E. Disney Adrienne Becker Chair of the Board Chief Executive Officer REBEL HEARTS To: [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Re: case number CHC-2020-5630-HCM 11 December 2020 To the Cultural Heritage Commission, Council Member O’Farrell’s Office, and City Planners, What is the value of something unremarkable? What is the value of something that does not draw attention to itself, yet is imbued with significance and meaning if you dig just a little beneath the surface, and look at it differently? This is exactly the question Corita Kent asked when she made her art. She transformed the ordinary -- the banal -- into something that engaged peoples’ imaginations and urged us to see, think, feel and act more deeply. And this is the question we urge you to ask when considering the value of an unremarkable rectangular building. From within the four walls of the storefront on Franklin Avenue, Corita led legions of students and culture-makers to make unlikely connections. Her work was colorful, provocative and inspiring. She was as central to Los Angeles’ cultural life as were the Eames’, Buckminster Fuller, Saul Bass, Haskell Wexler, John Cage, and countless other distinguished visitors enchanted by her work and teaching methods. And standing behind Corita -- supporting her art -- was a community of women whose story is critical to the history of Los Angeles. The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were teachers who educated tens of thousands of students across Los Angeles and California. They insisted on the value of an education. And not just for their own sisters, who taught in parochial schools in underserved communities under extremely difficult conditions while also getting themselves college and higher degrees on nights and weekends. But also for the young women of Los Angeles at their own Immaculate Heart College, high school and middle school. We are a team of award-winning documentary filmmakers based in Los Angeles who have, for the past 20 years, been documenting the rich and important history of the Immaculate Heart Community and Corita Kent. The film, Rebel Hearts , will be released in January 2021 with a very high profile World Premiere in the Los Angeles area. When audiences across the globe learn the story of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Corita, there will be a new generation of inspired, curious fans engaged with her art. We urge you to see this request to preserve the studio as an opportunity to engage people far and wide with an important piece of the cultural history of Los Angeles. Please do not pave paradise and put up a parking lot. The building may be unremarkable, but what happened within its walls is something extraordinary, to be cherished and preserved. When we emerge from these unprecedented and difficult times, we will need places -- small places, intimate places -- to gather and appreciate art, to make and celebrate culture together. We urge you to preserve Corita’s studio so that all those who come to know her story will have a place to visit, learn, make and to fall in love with Los Angeles for the artists it has built, and continues to help build. With respect and gratitude for your consideration, Pedro Kos, Director, [email protected] Kira Carstensen, Producer, [email protected] Shawnee Isaac-Smith, Producer, [email protected] Judy Korin, Producer, [email protected] Ethan Goldman, Executive Producer, [email protected] Cultural Heritage Commission City of Los Angeles Via Email chc@cityofla.org December 14, 2020 Re: CHC-2020-5630-HCM Dear Commissioners: I write to you today in support of the Corita Art Center’s Historic-Cultural Monument applicaJon for the Sister Mary Corita Studio. I am a licensed architect, with 25 years of experience in historic architecture and campus planning. I currently serve as Assistant Vice Chancellor and Campus Architect at UC Berkeley. While I am currently based in northern California, my associaJon with Los Angeles is both personal and professional. I received my undergraduate degree from UCLA and in 2003 opened Architectural Resources Group’s southern California office, as the Senior Associate represenJng the firm. My preservaJon experience is broadly based and geographically diverse. Prior posiJons include University Architect at Tulane University in New Orleans and Campus PreservaJon Architect at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. in 2017 I completed five years of service on the AIA NaJonal Historic Resources Advisory Group. I have a keen professional interest in historic properJes associated with colleges and universiJes, parJcularly those that represent the unique histories of women in higher educaJon. Corita Kent’s significance as an arJst, and as an art educator at Immaculate Heart College, is well established in the historic-cultural monument nominaJon. The direct associaJon of this property with her producJve life, as her working and teaching studio, is clearly documented. I have read the staff report in response to this applicaJon and disagree with the conclusion that alteraJons to the studio are “not easily reversible.” Visible exterior alteraJons appear to be largely reversible and a rehabilitaJon or restoraJon treatment, based on historical evidence, is technically feasible. Despite alteraJons, Corita’s studio at 5518 Franklin Avenue is worthy of designaJon and preservaJon. Sincerely, Wendy Hillis, AIA Immaculate Heart Community Date 12-15-2020 OUR BOARD CHC -2020-5639-HCM Chair Ray Mattes Dear Cultural Heritage Commission, Vice Chair The members of the Immaculate Heart Community (IHC) have asked me to write Stephanie Glatt you in support of the application submitted by the Corita Art Center.